Getting used to wearing hearing aids
Most people with hearing loss wait far too long before getting hearing aids and they have often forgotten what it is like to have normal hearing or near to normal hearing. Therefore, the ability to hear again and the many new “loud” sounds can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning. In fact, you must learn to hear again.
The hearing aids do not restore your hearing, to the level that you will hear as well as a person without hearing loss, but you will get near to normal hearing – and hear much better and much more than without hearing aids.
New and louder sounds
Before you started using hearing aids, you missed a lot of sounds and these sounds were not sent to your brain. The brain therefore has to process these sounds again. This demands energy from you, so you might feel a bit tired or exhausted in the beginning.
With your hearing aids you will hear voices and other sounds much clearer and louder. You will also hear background noise such as traffic noises and noise at parties, meetings and social gatherings, refrigerators and computers humming, water running, clocks ticking and birds singing.
Good advice for when starting using hearing aids
Here is some good advice for first-time users of hearing aids
- You cannot compare hearing aids with spectacles. When you use glasses for the first time, you see the difference right away, but with hearing aids you have to get used to hearing more and differently. Your ears work differently than your eyes.
- It is a good idea to practice being a good hearing aid user. This means that you must keep wearing your hearing aid - do not put it away if it irritates you in the beginning. The more you use your hearing aids, the better and earlier they will work for you.
- Fitting is an ongoing process. Especially in the beginning. It is quite common to have the hearing aids adjusted several times in the beginning by the hearing care professional, so they match to your personal experiences and needs.
- Talk to other people who have a hearing loss and use hearing aids. They will most likely have a lot of experience for you to draw on.
- It is a good idea to have an ongoing dialogue with your hearing care professional. The more you tell them about your experience using hearing aids, the better they can be fitted and adjusted so they match your needs.
- Your hearing loss may develop over time, so it is a good idea to have a new hearing test carried out on a regular basis.